Apparatus for distilling water



(NoModeL) Y T. G. SPRINGER. APPARATUS POR DIsTILLI-NG WATER.

'Patented Deo. s, 1895.

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TIIEADORE G. SPRINGER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

APPARATUS FOR DflSTlLLING WATER.

SPECIFICATION forming' part of Letters Patent No. 550,849, datedDecember 3, 1895.` Application filed September 20, 1895. Serial No.563,067. (No model.)

To all whom z5 may oon/cern.- l

`Be it known that LTHEADORE G. SPRINGER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois,haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Distilling lVa# ter; and I do hereby declare t-he following to be a full, clear,and exact description ofV the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The object of my invention is to provide an apparatus to effect thedistillation of water for domestic and other purposes.

It consists in certain novel constructions and combination of partswhicheect a more rapid and efficient distillation and forms an apparatusthat is not liable to get out of repair and can therefore be left to thecare of servants or other unskilled persons.

My said invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing anddisclosed in th following description and claims.

In the drawing my apparatus is illustrated in vertical section.

A is a bracket which may be secured to a wall or other support, and thisbracket supports the entire structure. p

A' is a pipe through which water is supplied to the boiler or still andwhich at the same time forms the cooling-tank for the condenser. Thispipe is connected to thebracket so as to be firmly supported thereby.

B is the boiler, which is rigidly connected to the pipe Al and issupported therefrom. The bottom of the boiler is preferably made hollow7or of a re-entrant form, so as togive a larger heating surface incontact with the water within the same. The bracket A, in this instance,extends outwardly beyond the pipe A', and atthe outer end Vaboutcentrally below the boiler a gas-burner B', of the Bunsen or otherheating type, is located upon and supported by said bracket. The burnermay, however, be supported by connection with the boiler or the pipe A',if preferred, and instead of a gas-burner a lamp or other form ofoil-burner may be employed.

The boiler B is provided with a cover I), giving access to the interiorof the saine to enable the boiler to be kept clean.

The connection between the pipe A and the boiler, of the form of a slot,is along the line of the junction of the two and extends for somedistance in a vertical direction. Water is supplied to the condenserpipe A by the inlet`pipe a, connected therewith near the lower end ofpipe A. The inlet-pipe a connects with some source of water-supply,preferably with a water-distributing system such as is common in mostcities and large towns. This inlet is provided with the cock a', bywhich the amount of water to the pipe A in the boiler is regulated.There is also `provided the outlet a2, having a cock by which the watercan be drawn from the boiler when it is desired to clean the saine.

In order that the Water in the boiler may be maintained at anniforinlevel, I provide the overiiow device C, which consists, Vpreferably, ofthe pipe c, connected with the pipe A and extending'upward to the cupc', with which an outlet or overliow pipe c2 is connected, which maybeextended any desired length and conduct the overflow-water to any pointpreferred.

The condenser of the apparatus consists ofl the pipe D, located withinthe pipe A. This pipe extends above the water-line of the boiler, and atits lower end itis preferably contracted and passes through astuffing-box in the bottom of the pipe A". This extension of the pipe Dis the outlet of the condenser and is carried downward into a receiverF, where its lower end is sealed, preferably by the liquid in thereceiver. In order to prevent the withdrawal of the liquid in thereceiver to such an extent as to remove the seal, the receiver F isprovided with a faucet f, located above the level of the lower end ofthepipe d.

By distilling in an apparatus closed from the outer air I am enabled toform a partial vacuum in the boiler, which greatly facilitates theevaporation of the liquid acted upon. The reduction of the pressurewithin the apparatus should not be carried beyond a certain point.Otherwise the distilled liquid will be drawn up or held in suspension inthe pipe D until the effectiveness of the condenser will becomeimpaired. In order to prevent this I provide the air-pipe E, whichextends from a point in the 'lower part of the pipe D upward through thetop of the pipe A. It then turns to one side and then downward, and tothis IOO downwardly-extending portion is attached a valve-casing inwhich is located a ball or other pressure-governed air-inlet valve e.This valve is so adjusted that when the distilled liquid shall rise inthe pipe d to nearly the pipe D the valve e will yield and admit asupply of air to the pipe D to restore the proper relation of pressureswithin and without the apparatus. The valve is placed in the positionshown and described to prevent dirt or dust accumulating upon it in aposition to be drawn into the apparatus.

A safety-valve G is secured to the pipe E, so as to permit the egress ofair in filling the apparatus and to prevent undue internal pressure inthe case of accidents preventing the proper operation of the device.

I prefer to make the pipe D and the air-inlet pipe E of glass orporcelain in order that the condensed water may be kept as pure aspossible and free from objectionable iiavors.

After the apparatus is filled the cock a is turned so as to supply waterto pipe A faster than it can be evaporated and produce a constant smallstream from the overflow-pipe c2. This is done in order that the waterin the lower part of the pipe A may be kept at so low a temperature asto produce rapid condensation in pipe D. This does not interfere withthe evaporation in the boiler, as the circulation is only between theinlet-pipe a and outlet-pipe c.

I prefer to have the water in the boiler Very shallow, covering thebottom not more than two or two and a half inches in order to securerapid heating. In a short time after the lighting of the burnerevaporation commences, driving the air downward in the pipe D, fromwhence it escapes through the safety-valve G or the water seal. As theboiler and condenser are closed from the outer air, the condensation ofthe steam will shortly result in a partial vacuum and the distilledwater will rise in the pipe d to balance the pressure. Vhatever airthere is in the apparatus will find its way to the lower part of thepipe D, and the condensation always takes place in the presence of air.Should the disparity of pressures be increased above that provided forby the air-inlet valve, that valve will open and admit air to the lowerpart of the condenser-tube D, thereby keeping a supply of same, underless than atmospheric pressure and maintaining the desired pressure bythe regulated admission of air to the condenser at the point ofcondensation, substantially as described.

2. In a water distilling apparatus the combination with the boiler, ofthe condenser, an air pipe discharging in the lower part of thecondenser provided with a pressure regulated inlet valve, the condenseroutlet and a receiver provided with a draw-off cock located to maintaina water seal for said outlet, substantially as described.

3. The combination with the supply pipe, the boiler and the condenser,of the overiiow pipe for maintaining the liquid in the apparatus at acertain level, of an air inlet pipe extending within the condenser belowthe connection of the overflow pipe with the supply pipe, the condenserand the pressure regulated inlet valve for said air pipe, substantiallyas described.

4. In a water distilling apparatus, the combination with the condensersealed from the outer air, of the air inlet pipe extending to near thebottom of the condenser, and the pressure regulated air inlet valveconnected with said pipe, substantially as described.

5. In a water distillingy apparatus, the combination with the boiler,the supply pipe, the condenser located therein and sealed from the outerair, of the airv inlet pipe extending within the zone of condensation inthe condenser and provided with pressure regulating inlet valve and theindependent safety valve, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

THEADORE G. SPRINGER. Vitnesses:

C. I-I. WHITAKER, E. P. HUBBARD.

